Zero Option

Even though this was still a solid effort from Linaker, I guess I didn't find it as spectacular as others did. As is normal with his books, the story moved along with a lot of action. But, most of the action scenes seemed to be light gun battles until much later. Bolan's gunfights at the R&D facility was classic smash-mouth explosiveness from ML. The extensive cast of characters were all done well, from Riba the Apache to the duo of Zero agents. Certainly a winner, but didn't live up to all of my expectations.

WOW !!!!!!!!!!!! I had a long haul flight and borrowed this book from my friend, were both avid fans and i somehow managed to miss this one.I was glued from start to finish with this book, the tech was very complicated but thoroughly believable,i genuinly think that if this series is ever made into a movie this is the title they have to choose! Hope they use the weapon in future stories .Well done Mike,once again you have proved your the best and most consistent author to our beloved series,keep up the good work !

Quite a well balanced yarn that involves some serious hypothetical (and believable) tech. It does not take away from the action with pages of specific scientific explanation. In fact you get a serious sense of respect for the Zero device as its capabilities are revealed during the plot progression. Starting with the prologue immediately you are thrust into a desperate individual's flight from danger, being hunted by enemies both foreign and domestic with Mack starting from the end of the trail. The story is a great blend of black ops and political scandal with brilliant characters that are written so well and it has one of the most satisfactory (and goosebumpy) conclusions written.

MikeL's first entry in this series and he delivers a blockbuster which I am sure any fan of these series would more than enjoy. Excellent different original plot where an ultimate weapon orbiting in space needs a human interface to be brought online to protect the US from incoming attack. The Chinese somehow learn of this weapon and launch an attack on the facility where the research and development is taking place. The test subject due to be assimilated into the Zero platform manages to escape the facility and is running for his life. Enter the Big Guy and strap in for the ride where you will read some of the best stuff written in these series. This is a rare title where all of the characters introduced no matter which side they are on are interesting and believable coupled with the ongoing storyline grabs you and just doesn't let go. Loved the action scenes which increase as the title progresses to hold your breath stuff excitement. The Big Guy is written superbly in this title showing all of his characteristics especially liked some of the humour in this one where I got a big smile on my face more than once. Loved it superb read which is Highly recommended reading. Do yourself a favour.

A lot of references to the Six Million Dollar Man, if anything, this novel played out like an entire season of 24. This entry is a mover, from fluid action to powerful narrative, once the mid-point is reached. The mechanisms and absurd coincidence to set everybody up in one place was a little hard to take. Once past this point, this little rollercoaster zoomed along, in a logical, compelling rate. I have mixed feelings about the sci-fi aspect of the plot. The details about the fantastic technology were glazed over with philosophy and Zen. But there was no harm, no foul. The Ryan henchman is a stand out. I also enjoyed the crazy General with his speeches. Above average entry, bordering on great.

A race against time for Bolan as he attempts to be the first to find Buchanan and comes up against hired killers of all kinds but are there any he can trust? Even those who supposedly work for the Government. The many characters that fill this book help keep the attention as they all hunt for Buchanan. Plenty of action as to be expected from a Bolan/Executioner book and a plot that has all the threads tied up by the end. Having only read westerns by Mike Linaker (he doesn’t live that far from me) I was intrigued to see how he’d handle a modern day book and wasn’t surprised to find he does it very well, providing an exciting read that made me wonder about the possibility of the human/machine interface. An idea that paints a pretty grim future for the world when it becomes reality and makes you wonder as to how long this planet has left.

I can only echo what's been said in previous reviews, and add my vote that this is an excellent book. Great plotting, great characterization and it's always good to see Mack show his human side. Like Glenn, I'm sorry that we weren't able see what would have been a very intense scene between Mack and Grimaldi over the death of Jack's girlfriend, but otherwise, I have no complaints at all.

I did enojoy this book, even though it took me three weeks to get through (due to a busy family!). The good points have been pointed out in the first two reviews. Bolan does have emotions, he isn't a cardboard cutout running around shooting people. The other characters, both good guys and bad guys, are also solidly written. What has been written by Dexter and Monsta Mack can apply to my review as well (apart from laughing out loud at the jokes or crying at the death of a character)! It is interesting to note that Bolan is involved in only three gunfights in the first half of the novel. More investigation work is applied, as well as setting up the rest of the characters. The American villains were enjoyable, the senator, the general and the henchman. All were bad guys that I could wait to see get it, and I was slightly disappointed that Bolan didn't kill the senator at the end. Perhaps Mike intends to have the senator return in a future novel. I felt that the inclusion of the Chinese faction was a little superfluous to the plot. If the Chinese had been removed from the story then very little would have been lost (except that the novel would have been a regular Executioner). I would have liked to know how the Chinese learnt of the Zero Platform in the first place, but I either missed this or it was left out. One thing that I feel was a missed opportunity was Grimaldi's loss of his girlfriend. The novel ends with Bolan going off to explain to Grimaldi what happened to her, but I think that some excellent character development was missed by not having this in the book. The only thing that I did not like in the novel was when all four parties (Bolan, Valens & Co, the renegade airforce group and the Chinese) show up at the Wyoming lodge at exactly the same moment. Not ten minutes too early or five minutes too late but exactly the same moment. That was far too much of a co-incidence for me. But on the whole this story was excellent and I recommend it to one and all. Now to order Mike's next SuperBolan, Cirlce of Deception.

This book is the reason why the Mack Bolan/Executioner series has lasted so long, despite every other immitator passing by the wayside. Why? 1 - Continuity. Mike Linnaker brings back the Jack Grimaldi/Jill Buchannan relationship that first appeared in Silent Invader, and made reference to another Stony Man novel involving the Slingshot satellites. 2 - Scope. The whole planet was at peril with this one, with a single madman trying to use an ultimate weapon to control the nation and bully the rest of the world. Meanwhile, the might of China was put into play to try to destroy this weapon on an entirely different scope. This novel stretched from Nassau to Hong Kong to all up and down the Eastern Seaboard to Wyoming and BACK to the East Coast. At the same time, this was a personal mission for Mack. His friends were hurt. At once, worldwide duty and personal revenge were perfectly balanced, so much so that we as readers gave a damn when we wanted to see justice done. 3 - Characterization. Every member of the supporting cast held their weight, their personality, their originality. Even the lowliest of peons on the Chinese side was given imagination and ingenuity in the face of adversity, and Bolan himself was a man on a crusade, to the point where he was BULLYING the President of the United States, not being the puppy on the State Department leash. 4 - Action. Action. Action. Not just shootings and punchings... but stuff that had visceral meaning behind it. This wasn't gunfire for gunfire's sake - YOU WANTED THE BAD GUYS TO PAY, and Mike gave you the payoff, every cent's worth! 5 - A loving homage to Martin Caden's Cyborg, right down to a Six Million Dollar Man reference. I kept imagining Buchanan and Kaplan as Lee Majors and Martin E. Brooks (Dr. Rudy Wells). Yeah. It's a 35 year-old plot, but hell, it's something that's never been done before in Mack Bolan. 6 - Humor. I laughed out loud at a lot of scenes. 7 - Soul. I almost cried at the deaths of a couple characters. One death had me quiet and brooding for over an hour after reading a scene. 8 - Philosophy. Once again, Bolan is a thinking man, and an eloquent speaker, inspiring other people. 9 - Humanity. Bolan risks his life to save other lives. He puts himself at serious physical risk, AND SUFFERS, in order to protect his friends and allies. He's not an indestructable cyborg killing machine, but a man who cares, gets hurt, and has friends. 10 - It's just a ten star story that could stand completely on its own as a unique novel.

Holy cow, Mike Linaker hits this one out of the ballpark! No, make that out of Earth's orbit! It's too bad it has taken so many years for this man to get a superBolan of his own. Zero Option has to rank as one of the best Bolan stories I've ever read. The action starts off with a man running away from a military base in New Mexico, with implants under his skin. The purpose of these implants? To connect man with machine. An orbiting space platform that is set to go online, with the man being the only one having the ability to fully activate the missile capabilities. Different factions want this powerful weapon, and most of them are up to no good. The Chinese want it destroyed. A corrupt senator wants it for himself, to take the white house and control the world in the satelite's grip. Before long Mack Bolan gets involved. The complex web of these various factions and their private armies clash in a well told, exciting and fast paced adventure that provides top-notch reading entertainment. This is what superBolans are all about. Bolan meets good allies along the way, and nasty villains. The adventure is suspensful, thrilling, and fast paced. The sci-fi elements of the story are fascinating, and all the characters, good and bad, are written with realism and great dialogue. The story builds through the novel to an exciting clash inside the facility, with captures and daring escapes, bloody action, and brutal fighting. The ending is about the most unique you will ever see in a Bolan novel. All the loose ends are tied up neatly by the end of the book. And I liked the conversation between Bolan and Kaplan near the end. I would say much more about this novel, but I will leave it to the reader to enjoy the book. Mike Linaker was in the ZONE when he wrote this masterpiece of action/adventure. This is a true Bolan classic. Don't miss out on it. Read it. Recommend it to your friends. With his first superBolan entry, Mike has conquered the superBolan universe.